Reaction: I'm Sad It's Over, But Destiny's End Was Overdue

This week we learned that the summer update for Destiny 2 will be its last. And as I read through Bungie’s blog, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of conflicting emotions, namely sadness and relief.

Across both the original Destiny and Destiny 2, I have wracked up over 1,500 hours with the series, enjoying each of its expansions from The Dark Below all the way to The Final Shape.

I’ve bought comics, I’ve watched my fair share of the lore daddy himself, MyNameIsByf, and I even go back to the original gameplay reveal of Destiny from time to time, just to feel something.

I was never, by any means, a hardcore player, but I have a warm and fuzzy spot in my heart for this game, because for me, it marked the beginning of a new era of gaming.

As a teen, the lobbies of Modern Warfare 2 and Red Dead Redemption were the extent of my multiplayer experience. Incredible games that I could easily rave about on their own, but there was something special about Destiny.

Whether it was my love for epic sci-fi or the idea of a persistent evolving multiplayer world, I was smitten with the idea of Destiny. The fact that we would watch this world change over the years, or that you could look at what I was wearing and the guns I wielded and know that I had put in the time with the game.

In fact, it was the first time I booked time off work just to play a game. I don’t think I’ve been quite as hyped for a game pre-launch as I was with Destiny. Stocked up with a box of Irn Bru (note: nectar in a can) and ready to jump into the game with some of my friends, those opening weekends were core gaming memories for me.

And in the following years, I loved gathering the gang together again to dive into a new campaign or try to tackle Grandmaster Nightfalls. There are specific combat encounters within the two Destiny games that my friends and I still hark back to from time to time. I even made my first online gaming friend playing the original game.

I’m not here to critique each of the game's many expansions, which undoubtedly have their peaks and troughs. But across a decade, I was loyally back with each expansion. New enemy variants, cool new planets, awesome new weapons, little snippets of new lore, it all gave me a little flicker of that old nostalgia.

Even at its worst, Bungie knew how to cook up a supremely satisfying shooter. And when you hit that flow state of your stats and perks synergising, bouncing around its levels as an onslaught of enemies surrounds you, and you pop your super at just the right moment, there was truly nothing like it.

But despite my love for the series, there was a point where I felt satisfied with my time in this universe, or at least satisfied with Destiny 2, and that was with The Final Shape. I reviewed the expansion back in 2024, labelling it a “thrilling conclusion to a 10-year saga”, and now with two years of hindsight, it was the perfect ending point for the series.

The old proverb of “all good things must come to an end” is something I’m a stout believer in. It’s why I’m desperate for Rob McElhenney (sorry, Rob Mac...) and the gang to call it quits with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even back with The Final Shape, I was a little at odds with what was next for Destiny.

A new game? A new multi-year narrative? Quite quickly, post-Final Shape Destiny started to feel reminiscent of post-Endgame MCU. Starting again wasn’t the issue; it was the sense that no one really knew where it was heading. And I didn’t need a Star Wars-inspired expansion to tell me that.

So while I’m relieved that Bungie finally realised it was time to call it quits, I’m just sad that it took them this long, and that, clearly, there was no firm plan. Destiny had its chance to end in a blaze of glory with The Final Shape, but instead, Bungie dragged its burned, crispy carcass two miles beyond the finish line.

It was a goliath in the multiplayer space, once a hallmark for multiplayer shooters, and now it’s being left to sizzle out. Many in the community, including myself, were waiting for that Destiny 3 announcement. But either Bungie isn’t interested, or just didn’t have the foresight to get the ball rolling in time.

So while I do think it’s long past time for Destiny 2 to call curtains, I’m sad that it has ended this way. Destiny, you deserved better.

But what do you think? Are you sad to see the era of the Guardian come to an end? Or are you happy Bungie is finally moving on? Let me know down in the comments below.